Today, we're talking about kickstarting your personal development—pun fully intended. I'm writing this on the heels of Inner Workout's Kickstarter. The Kickstarter was a smart business move, but, at its core, it was a personal development journey.
When I have an idea, my first instinct is to DIY it. It allows me to be in control, and to sweep my failures under the rug. Even typing that feels growth, but it's the truth. I did things on my own in order to control the narrative. That approach only gets you so far. In fact, Enneagram threes need to learn how to deal with failure in order to really grow.
So I decided to get really uncomfortable by inviting people into the product development process. I'd swing for the fences, and if I failed, everyone would know. I saw it as a win-win situation. If the Kickstarter succeeded, great. If the Kickstarter failed, I'd learn how to deal with failure without seeing myself as a failure.
Spoiler alert: the Kickstarter exceeded my wildest expectations. Here's what I learned:
I sent emails with three explicit asks, and people showed up for me big time. Even more surprising, people I didn't ask chose to show up any way!
As a person who loves to be generous but doesn't love being the beneficiary, I had to learn how to graciously receive support. It was uncomfortable, but it got more comfortable over the course of the campaign.
The Kickstarter really highlighted my tendency to move on to the next milestone without celebrating what's already been achieved. I had to slow down to appreciate the names and faces behind each funding goal.
There may or may not be a crowdfunding campaign in your future, but there is likely a project that you can approach through the lens of personal development. Personal development doesn't have to come from a book or a course.
Think about what you have on your plate, and then choose to stretch yourself in the way you execute it.
Build in public. Hire someone to help. Ask for feedback on your draft. Make that phone call.
It'll feel uncomfortable, but that's how real personal development happens.
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